Morning Meditation, by Grace Aguilar (ca. 1830s)

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=51075

Date: 2023-05-18

Last Updated: 2023-05-18

Categories: Birkhot haShaḥar

Tags: 19th century C.E., 56th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, teḥinot in English, תחינות teḥinot

Excerpt: "Morning meditation" by Grace Aguilar was published posthumously by her mother Sarah Aguilar in the UK edition of Sacred Communings, pp. 69-70. . . .

Content:

Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Morning meditation.
	With a glowing and a grateful heart do I hail the return of the sunny morn. The Lord in His mercy hath held me up during the dark and fearful night, and hath permitted me once more to hail the glad and glorious approach of day.
	I will seek the Lord in the early morning when all is silent around me, when there is a holy calm in the stillness of nature, that softens every tumultuous feeling and calms the weary spirit, and fills the soul with adoration, then will I seek the Almighty, ere the cares, thoughts, and desires of this world have entered my heart; and He will bend His gracious ear to the prayers and praises of a child of sin, if offered up in love, in reverence, and in adoration.
	I will awake from sleep, and arise early to seek my Creator, and offer Him the homage of a sinful, yet contrite heart, and in His infinite mercy He will deign to listen to my prayers. O how I love the Lord for all his mercies towards me!
	In sorrow have I sought Him, and He hath answered me, for the prayers of the young are acceptable to our Beneficent Creator, if offered up in lowliness and humbleness of heart.
	Think then, O my soul, how can I repay the manifold blessings I receive from the hand of my God; in what way dare I hope to evince the gratitude that gloweth in my heart.
	Think of all thy imperfections, thy follies, and thy sins. How difficult I sometimes find it, to give up the inclinations of my heart.
	Think on all this, O my soul, and know that fervent prayer alone can obtain pardon for my sins, and strength to guard against them.
	And what good do I do? Satisfy not thyself, my soul, with the thought, that thou hast no opportunities of doing good: many there are, but, careless and impatient, they are overlooked.
	Be on thy guard then, my soul, and let this day be passed in a manner acceptable to the Almighty, and pleasing to thyself. Beware, not to fall into the snares of temper and impatience.
	Lord, give me strength that I may walk in Thy ways, and become a good and faithful servant of Thy law. Amen.

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“Morning meditation” by Grace Aguilar was published posthumously by her mother Sarah Aguilar in the UK edition of Sacred Communings, pp. 69-70. It is not found in the US edition.

Source(s)

 

Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)
  Bio: Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)
  Website: https://aharon.varady.net
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/aharon-varady
• 
  Name: Grace Aguilar
  Bio: Grace Aguilar (2 June 1816 – 16 September 1847) was an English novelist, poet and writer on Jewish history and religion. Although she had been writing since childhood, much of her work was published posthumously. Among those are her best known works, the novels Home Influence and A Mother's Recompense. Aguilar was the eldest child of Sephardic Jewish refugees from Portugal who settled in the London Borough of Hackney. An early illness resulted in her being educated by her parents, especially her mother, who taught her the tenets of Judaism. Later, her father taught the history of Spanish and Portuguese Jews during his own bout with tuberculosis which had led the family to move to the English coast. After surviving the measles at the age of 19, she began to embark on a serious writing career, even though her physical health never completely recovered. Aguilar's debut was an anonymous collection of poems, The Magic Wreath of Hidden Flowers. Three years later she translated Isaac Orobio de Castro's Israel Defended into English at her father's behest. Later her The Spirit of Judaism drew interest and sales in both Britain and the United States after being published in Philadelphia by Isaac Leeser. He added a preface to the work elucidating his differences with her, the first of many clashes her work would have with mainstream Jewish thought. In the 1840s her novels began to attract regular readers, and Aguilar moved back to London with her parents. Despite her success, she and her mother still had to operate a boys' Hebrew school to stay solvent, which she resented for the time and energy it took from her writing. In 1847, she became ill again with a spinal paralysis which she did not let prevent her from visiting her brother in Frankfurt. Her health worsened and she died there that September.
  Website: https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/aguilar-grace
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/grace-aguilar

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Title: morning meditation (Grace Aguilar 1853) – cropped
Caption: morning meditation (Grace Aguilar 1853) - cropped